Dishwashing machine



Nov. 6, 1951 G. R. PORTER DISHWASHING MACHINE 2 SHEETS-SHEET l Filed March 24, 1945 |4 llgnm idf IlN

hul. QFMHJ41 'Filed March 24, 1945 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 WER@ .E11/ent or Zr RF ter 5 j A Drngy Patented Nov. 6, l1951 George Ri Toterwest Hartfordflconn., assigner itoCnlts Manufacturing Company, a, corporation ofronnceticut This :invention Vrelates' `to virimrovemerits in "a dishwashing machine and -more particularly ito the` provision of a pre-rinse device -'-Within l the cabinet of a dishwashing machineinvvhielrcon-` venti'onaPWashing-and rinsing compartments are provided. M

` It isfan'object offthe'present invention-GoreeY duce the bacteria count irl-"thefwashingand' rinse water' 'used in' a dishwashing machine having washingand rinsing" compartments ubyincluding a. pre-frinse device within the,cabineofthedish-l- Washing machine',- `said "pre-*rinse 'device' maintaining said Washing and rinse'watercieaner'for y aconsiderablylongertime'tiianin'conventional machines* notprovided with a' pre-rinsef'device.

It isanother objectl ofthe" invention Vto increase the washing -eflici'ency yof I'a conventional 'dish- Washing'fmachine hy'providing therein va precorporate AWithin" the pre-rinse' device :afrol-aminor1s-scrapjtr'ayivvhih will collect allscrapsand other soil removedl by' the prefiise 'device "trr'n' the dshesfto be washedipriorto yti'lelpassage.of

said 'dishes into the Washing compzntx'nent.

.,Itsstill another-objectlcf theinventionto utili'zeunheated VWater at. normal pressure within. Isaid pre-,rinse device said Watervbeing drained from the. soiled dishes i intok a tankTT connected..di rectly -with Athe .drainrof .the rdishwashingfmachine .andvgseparate from .the tardes i-ntoy .which the Washing and/rinsewatersow. v v M '.Otherobjects ofthe nventioniasawell-.las the detailsofl the invention and t detailsof the toregoing objects are set forth in. the .following specification and illustrated in the...accompany-` inglrdrawings. Said .drawings vare .to be .con--` sidered onlyasillustrative ofthe principles ofthe invention and .-arenot intended .to restrict-.the inventionvin 'any way .since it. i-s` todae understood that ,.cllariges,` variations .and modications can belresorted vto which come Awithin the secpenthe claimsappended hereto.y v, I In the drawings, Fig. Y 1- isL afside elevation. of; fa d ishwashingv machine embodying .the l invention and comprising. a cabinet.` having -thereon-fa prerinse: device, a'washingi compartment, a-'hots rinse compartment, andra-final.rinseidevice.. 1 1

Fig. 2 is an elevation, partly broken awaynto better. illustrate details of v.the invention, sadend `It isa'V 'further' 'obj ect 'of' .the invention tof` in-A ApplicatiqnMari/zfi, 1945i;seieirNdtsgsvsf imams. (cifrar-ns) v2. being that-i-n'vvhich #the entrance Yof the fdish- Washingmachineis located. v 2Fig.-3-isa-t(f p p1an view of thedi'shwashinglmaichine illustrated'inFigl.- Y f '5Fig. ifis 'a fragmentary sectional 'elevation taken i on, the linefd-d of 'Fig. i3 and illustrating the eiect ofthe lspray arrangements of -thejpre-f rinsedevice. l

Fig. 6 is -a fragmentary section-a1 -plan -vie-w takenonthelineGL-eofFigfll g Fig. Tis afragmentary tepplarrvew oa portion ofL the top spi-'ay'pipeA or manifcrldr of thex prerinse device, -Isaid' view illustrating' "the f oblique arrangement of the sheetelikesprays.

ventionarrd'- inthe 'following specicationand ciaims, 'the term normal pressure@ nsed tofd'escribe `the :water utilized inthepre'i'rinse device is'intend'e'd to" "denote "so-ca'11ed city pressure or the vpressure -atvfhich "Waterl is "supplied to` the kitchen in vvl'iici'i "the .dishvvash'ing "machine vs used g irrespective of 'the pressure *developed by the'purn'p" or .pumps of. the dishvvashing'machine. Similalvthe terinfunheatedwas useci'to de'- 'scrib'e "Jthev aforementioned Water' is intended "to denote water attheteinperatureat whichiitis obtained from the so-called cold Watersupply of the kitchen in 'Wl'iicl'fi'thje` Washing'machine is used and irrespective Hof *heated whater 'which may-loeJ furnished JoyY aliot waterheater attached towthe I'd'ishwashing 'machine or "otherwise j-pro` vided inthe kitchen'for purposes Fof furnishing hotl water. for general use or'foruseirr thewashing and' hot 'rinse' `compartments n y or final rinse devicepf'adishwashing 'machirie'.

vFurther, the term' 'prewinse device1 "as used within this specification and the clainisappended thereto is preferably" but notv "restrictively Vintended to denote a spray arrangement-located adjacent theentrance of the cabinet of @afdishwash-ing' in achine,s'aid-= arrangement being; so p'ositiondftha-t the'water sprayed'therefrom con-'v tacts soiled-'dishes prior to I-their entering'rthe washing--zcompartment- Saidiprerinsefdeviceis to'be:distinguished-:from suchl terrhs'fasi rinse device orY compartment, hot rinse device or -cem-- l partmentzan'd nalrrinse device. All fof vsaid than a dry or substantially dry soiled dish, the` present invention was conceived for purposes of reducing to a minimum the quantity of hot washing and rinse water required in conventional dishwashing machines.

The inclusion of a pre-rinse device within a conventional dishwashing machine imposes no` added burden on the heating facilities for the water used within the washing and rinse, hotV rinse, or iinal rinse compartments or devices. Similarly. the capacity of the conventional pump or pumps of the dishwashing machine need not be increased since the same are not needed to supplement the normal pressure at which the water is supplied for use in the pre-rinse device from the so-called cold water supply of the kitchen in which the machine is used.

Said pre-rinse device removes the bulk of the particles of scrap and other soil from the dishes to be washed, said scrap and `soil being either collected in a scrap receptacle or sluiced to the main drain for the dishwashing machine without polluting or chilling the water within the tanks of the washing and rinse compartments of said machine. Hence, the soiled dishes are fed to the Washing compartment in a cleaner condition than normally and also while wet, whereby the hot water in -the washing compartment will completely-wash the remaining soil from the wet dishes in shorter time than it would from dry ,I

dishes and with much less consumptionA of hot water than is now required in conventional dishwashing machines. These beneiicial'v results are attained, as explained above, at no increase in the conventional costs of operating a dishwashing machine other than the cost of supplying a small amount of additional unheated water at normal or so-called city pressure, said cost being insignificant.

Explaining the preferred embodiment of the invention and referring to the details illustrated in the drawings, particularly Figs. 1 through 3 thereof, the dishwashing machine I6 comprises a substantially unitary cabinet I2 including a washing compartment I4, a rinse or hot rinse compartment I6 and a nal rinse device I8. Water is supplied to sets of conventional main spray devices or manifolds 26, 22 within said compartments from a plurality-of pumps 26, '28

which pump water from tanks 30 and 32 within said machine.

Water overflows from tank 32 into tank 30 and then into the top of standpipe 34, from which it iiows into the main drain 36 of the machine.

Final rinse device I8 is supplied from any suitable source with heated water, said supply being controlled by a valve 38 actuated by a movable arm40. f

Extending through the cabinet I2 for substantially the full length thereof Vis a conveyor 42 comprising a pair of spaced sprocket chains Which are driven by another sprocket chain 44 actuated'by a gear reduction mechanism 46. The latter is driven by motor 48 which also drives pumps 26 and28. f

The conveyor 42 is designed to support and move racks or trays 50, hereinafter generally referred to as trays, through the various compartments and past the several spray devices of the dishwashing machine. Each tray 50 is sulciently open at the bottom to permit dishes therein to be acted upon by sprays directed upwardly from ypositions below the path of tray movement. ,As the trays 50 pass throughl the hot rinse compartment I6 and approach the iinal rinse device I8, said trays engage arm 40 of valve 38 and move the same in a direction to open said valve' and cause heated water to be sprayed from the; manifolds 24 of said device. When said trays have passed said arm, the valve is automatically closed inorder that Water for the nal rinse device may be conserved and only used at such' times Vas 'trays' are moving therepast. Further, said water from the nal rinse drains into tank 32 of the hot rinse compartment and then overflows into the washing solution ofV tank 36. Only intermittent use of the final rinse water is thus desired to reduce to a minimum the dilution of said solution. y

IThe present invention comprises lengthening the cabinet of a conventional dishwashing machine at the entrance end thereof in order to provide a compartment 52 within which to mount a pre-rinse device and scrap collector for purposes of attaining the aforementioned objects and benefits.

The pre-rinse device has an inlet pipe 54 which is connectible with the cold Water supply for the kitchen in which the machine is used. Said inlet pipe leads to a valve 56 which is similar to valve 38 and includes an arm 58 corresponding to arm 4D. Said valve is connected by ysuitable piping to a vertical pipe 60 which is connected to and supports at its upper end a top spray device or manifold 62 disposed horizontally and provided on its underside with a series of spaced slots 64 arranged obliquely to the longitudinal axis of said manifold but parallelly to each other.

The lower end of vertical pipe 6D supports and i is connected to a bottom or lower spray device or manifold 66 provided in its upper surface witha series of spaced slots 68 arranged in end to end relationship along a substantially straight line parallel to the axis of said manifold as best shown in Fig. 5.

When a tray 50 containing properly stacked soiled dishes is introduced to the conveyor through the entrance 'I6 of the dishwashing machine, said tray is moved by conveyor 42 'into contact with arm 58 which opens valve'56 to permit water to'be sprayed at normal pressure from top manifold l62 and bottom manifold 66 of the pre-rinse device -for purposes of sluicing scrap and soil from said soiled dishes prior to said dishes reaching washing compartmentV I4.v The scrapsand 'soil removed from said dishes pass through the bottom of the tray 50 and into a scrap collecting basket 'I2 preferably formed of nieshfmat'erial to catch and retain such scrap as would cause'clogging of the drain. 1n order that said basket 'I2 need not be unduly large, a funnel-like deflector 'I4 comprising four lcon# nected baiiles sloping downward toward the center is disposed beneath said pre-rinse device and the central opening in the bottom of device 'I4 is of such dimensions that the perimeter there-` of extends a suitable distance inward past the sidesrof basket 'I2 as is clearly Vshown in Figs. 1 and 4.

Water sprayed from said pre-rinse'device' which serve to prevent any substantial intermingling between the pre-rinse water and the liquids delivered by the main spray devices, and means located within the pre-rinse compartment and below the path of dish movement forreceiving the waterdelivered by the pre-rinse spray devices.

2. In a dishwashing machine, the combination of a cabinet having a front entrance openingA and a rear discharge opening, means within the cabinet for guiding and moving dishes continuously therethrough along a xed path. fromthe entrance openingto the discharge opening, a plurality of sets of main washing and rinsing spray devices within the cabinet longitudinally spacedA from each other along the path of dish movement with the first of the said sets spaced a substantial distance from the front end of the cabinet, means for supplying heated Washing and rinsing liquids under pressure to the said main spray devices to enable them to forcibly deliver sprays of liquid against-the dishes to effect washing and iinal rinsing as the dishes are moved along the said path, pre-rinse spray devices within the cabinet adjacent the entrance end thereof and' locatedV respectively above and below the path of dish movement, the said pre-rinse spray devices being longitudinally spaced'from the first of the said sets of main spray devices by a substantial distance considerably greater than the longitudinal distanceV between any two of the sets of main spray devices, means for supplying unheated water at normal pressure to the said'pre-rinse spraydevices to enable theml to deliver sprays of water downwardly and upwardly against the dishes to pre-rinse them and Wet them, the last said means being'indepen'dent of the aforesaid means for supplying liquids to the main spray devices, means located.l below the` path of dish movement for receiving the water delivered by the pre-rinse spray devices and serving to pre,- vent any intermingling below the said path betweeny the said pre-rinse waterl and the liquids suppliedto and delivered by the main washing and rinsing sprays, and a partition extending across the cabinet above the path of dish movement and between the pre-rinse spray devices and the first set of main spray devices, the said partition serving to prevent any substantial intermingling abovethe said path between the said pre-rinse water and the liquids delivered by the` main spray devices.

3. Ina dishwashing machine, the combination of a cabinet having a front entrance opening and a rear discharge'opening, means within the cabinet forguiding dishes therethrough alonga fixed path from the entrance opening to the discharge' washing and rinsing liquids under pressure tov the `said main spray devices to enable them to forcibly deliver sprays of liquid `against the dishes to effect washing and nal rinsing as the dishes are moved along the said path, pre-rinse spray devices within the .cabinet adjacent the entrance end thereof and located respectively above and below the path of .dish movement, the said pre-rinse spray devices being longitudinally spaced` a substantial distance from the rstof tne saldsets Vof main spray devices, .means `for supplying unheated water at normal pressure to,

the said pre-rinse spray devices to enable them to deliver sprays upwardly against the dishesy to pre-rinse them and wet them, the last said means being vindependent of the aforesaid means for supplying liquids to the main spray devices, a partition extending across the cabinet above the path of dish movement and between the pre-rinse spray devices and the rst set of main` spray devices, the

said partition serving to prevent any substantial intermingling above the said path between the said pre-rinse water andthe liquids deliveredv by the main spray` devices, means located below the path of dish movement for receiving the water `delivered by the pre-rinse spray devices and serving to prevent any intermingling below the said path between vthe said pre-rinse water. and the liquids supplied to and delivered by the:

for moving therethrough along a fixed path from v the entrance opening to the discharge opening a succession of dish carrying trays which are sufi-I ficiently open at the bottom to permit upwardly directed sprays to engage the dishes, a plurality of sets of main washing and rinsing spray de vices within the cabinet longitudinally spaced from each other along the path of tray movement with the front of the said sets spaced a substantial distance from the front end of the cab-4 inet, means for supplying'heated washing 'and rinsing liquids under pressure to the said main spray devices to enable them to forcibly deliver sprays of liquid against the dishes carried by the said trays to effect washing and rinsing as the dishes are moved by the trays along the `said path, pre-rinse spray devices within the cabinet adjacent the entrance end thereof and located respectively above and below the path of trayy movement, the said pre-rinse spray devices being longitudinally spaced a substantial distance from the rst of the said sets of main spray devices, piping for suppling unheated water at normal pressure to the said pre-rinse sprayv devices to enable them to deliver sprays of water downwardly and upwardly against the dishes to prerinse them and wet them, the said piping being independent of the aforesaid means for supplying liquids to the main spray devices, a Ynormally closed valve connectedwith the said piping, ac-

tuating means for the valve normally projecting.

into the path of movement of the traysand operable when engaged by a tray to open the valve when a tray is between the pre-rinse spray devices, means located below the path of tray movement for receiving the water delivered by the pre-rinse spray devices and serving `to prevent anyV intermingling below the said path between the said pre-rinse water and the liquids supplied to and delivered by the main washing and rinsing sprays, and a partition extending across the cabinet above the path of tray movement and `between the pre-rinse spray devices and the first set of main spray devices, the said partition serving to prevent any substantial intermingling Vabove the said path between the saidrpremnse of water downwardly, and

devices.

5, The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1 G 1,406,465 Lynch Feb. 14, 1922 1,421,055 Adams June 27, 1922 1,458,028 Burnham June 5, 1923 1,664,637 Merseles et al. Apr. 3, 1928 GEORGE R. PORTER.

REFERENCES CITED Number Number Name Date Price Oct. 16, 1928 Webb July 2, 1929 Wolf July 11, 1933 Kendall Sept. 4, 1934 Webb Oct. 15, 1935 Johnston et a1.* Mar. 9, 1937 Voris Dec. 5, 1939 Vors Dec. 11, 1945 FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date Sweden Feb. 16, 1925 France May 4, 1928 

